


Children in Paradise

by orphan_account



Category: Jesse Stone (Movies)
Genre: Child Abuse, Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-21 02:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3674205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jesse Stone meets Justin Rhimes, a smartass five-year-old. Something isn't right with this kid though. Can Jesse figure out what it is and help him before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I put that there is some romance in this story, but it will be very mild and will not be the focus of the story. This story came to me a few days ago while watching the Jesse Stone series and I can't seem to stop thinking about it. So I figured I'd run with it and see what happens. R&R!

The sun was peeking through the curtains in the living room window when Jesse finally opened his eyes. It couldn't be morning already. Jesse felt as though he had just fallen asleep. But one look at his watch told him he was late for work. He stood up from his chair and stretched his back, trying to get the kinks out. He was too old to be sleeping in a chair like that. He grabbed his empty glass and the half-empty bottle of alcohol and walked to the kitchen. He had been doing good with his drinking, managing to control his urge to drink. But one phone conversation with Jenn and he drank half a bottle. Maybe one of these days he'd consider not talking to her anymore.

Jesse walked quickly to his bedroom to change. It wouldn't do for the chief of police to show up to work in the same clothes he had left in the night before. He had a class from the local elementary school coming to tour the station. They had inquired about it three weeks ago and Jesse had told Molly to tell them no, his police station was not a showroom or museum. Molly, however, ignored him and told them they'd be thrilled to host them for a day and that "the chief can't wait to meet the children." He tried giving Molly the silent treatment after that, but it didn't work. He did make it clear though that since she got him into this after he told her no, then she would be the one handling the children. He didn't do kids. But he still had to be present in less than half an hour.

Deciding that he'd get coffee at the station, he grabbed his denim jacket and hurried out the door. If he was lucky he could drink a little bit of coffee before the class showed up. He had a feeling that children and hang-overs didn't mix very well.

When he pulled up outside the building, the school bus was already there and the kids were already talking to Molly. He walked into the office where Molly introduced him to the class. He looked over at the boys and girls, nodding and saying "Hi" before grabbing some coffee and heading to his office, swinging the door shut behind him. Sitting in his office chair, he stared through the glass window at the kids (mostly boys) climbing over everything. Maybe he should show them the inside of a holding cell, show them how to properly lock a suspect in one, just to give them the whole experience. He decided against it, only because he didn't want to field a bunch of calls from angry parents complaining that he locked their children in jail.

Grabbing a stack of paperwork he started looking through it. Paradise had been kind of slow lately crime-wise. Lately all he got to do was pull over an occasional car for speeding or parking illegally and arrest the rare drunk person. Though it was slow and boring, it gave him time to catch up on his paperwork that he'd let slide for the past several months. Preoccupied with reading a report from Suitcase, he never heard his door open until he heard a very energetic "Hi!"

He dropped the report he was reading, startled by the unexpected, unwelcome visitor.

"Hi." He said, looking at the young boy in front of him. The kid could not have been more than five years old. He was short for his age, but considering the age group of the class, he guessed five was a safe bet. The boy had sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a t-shirt and pair of jeans that looked like they had seen better days.

"You're not supposed to be in here," Jesse said when the boy didn't say anything.

"No one told me that." The boy said as he sat in a wooden chair across the desk from Jesse.

"Well, I'm telling you now."

The boy simply nodded, looking around the room. He obviously had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

"What's a police chief?" He asked.

Jesse sat there staring at the kid, trying to figure out what he was up to. Whatever it was, Jesse had a feeling it would not benefit him in any way.

"A police chief is kind of like the boss of the department." He finally responded.

"Oh. So like, the officers have to do whatever you tell them to?"

"Kind of like that, yeah."

"So like, if you told them to investigate something, they'd do it?" The child asked, curiosity written all over his face.

Jesse leaned forward in his seat to be more at eye-level with the kid and asked "What's your name, kid?"

"Justin."

"Justin what?"

"Justin Rhimes."

"Justin, is there something I should be investigating?" Jesse asked.

Justin got this guilty look on his face, eyes as wide as saucers when he said "No sir. I was just curious. I'd better catch up to my class now. Bye!" Justin ran out of the office and over to his classmates.

Jesse said nothing as he watched the young boy leave. There was something about him that didn't add up. But then he figured that he was being overly paranoid. He took a sip of his coffee and got back to reading that report.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a little over a week since the tour of the police station and Jesse had forgotten about Justin, writing it off as childish curiosity.

Jesse was in his office running license plate numbers through his computer when Molly walked in.

"Jesse, we got a call that for the past several days a dad has been causing a scene at the bus stop around the corner. They're asking that we send someone over to check it out."

"Send Suitcase."

When he got no response and he did not hear her walk away, he looked up from his computer to see his dispatcher staring at him with one eyebrow raised.

"You're right. Forget I said that." Jesse stood and grabbed his coat and hat, heading for the door.

Suitcase was a good cop, but he was young and had a lot to learn, like how to be firm. Something told Jesse that Suitcase was bullied in school.

Since the bus stop was right around the corner and the bus wasn't due to arrive for another twenty minutes, Jesse opted to walk. Turning the corner, he saw a group of parents already waiting for their kids to arrive. Jesse slipped his sunglasses on and leaned against a tall oak tree. Scanning the group, he saw a lot of the parents talking to each other. One guy stood out from the crowd though. Maybe it was because everyone was ignoring him, or maybe it was because he stood off away from them slightly. The man had dirty blonde hair and wore a ball cap, covering his eyes. He had a slight goatee also. He was tall, maybe Jesse's height or slightly shorter, but he was well-built like he worked out on a regular basis. Looking down, Jesse noticed a little girl holding the man's hand. The girl looked very similar to her father with the same color hair. She was small, making it hard to determine her age. But if Jesse had to guess, he'd say she was two or three. She wore a sweatshirt that looked worn thin, which would explain the reason why she was shivering.

Looking behind him, Jesse saw the bus coming down the road. The parents all looked relieved as the temperature was obviously dropping. The bus stopped and the doors opened, allowing the kids to exit. Jesse slipped a piece of gum into his mouth as he watched the kids get off and meet up with their parents. Justin was one of the last kids that got off the bus and he headed straight for the man and the little girl. Jesse watched as he leaned down and hugged the girl. The dad grabbed the boy by the backpack and started yelling at him about unfinished chores as they walked past Jesse. It was obvious that Justin had not seen him.

Jesse watched as they walked past a couple of houses before stopping in front of a house that, just like the kids, had seen better days. The lawn was overgrown, shingles were falling off, the whole house looked like it needed a good paint job.

Jesse followed them and watched as the father pushed Justin towards the porch steps, causing him to fall.

"Hey Justin." Jesse greeted, making his presence known. 

Justin jumped up and said "Hi Chief Stone! This is my dad, David, and my little sister, Nicole."

Jesse shook David's hand and politely smiled at the girl. Looking down at Justin, he said, "What happened to your hand?"

Justin looked down and saw his hand bleeding.

"Oh, I slipped and fell. I must've scraped it on the sidewalk." He looked nervous as he spoke.

"These kids, so damn klutzy." David remarked, laughing like what he said was funny.

"Justin, why don't you go inside. I'd like to talk to your father." Jesse said, his eyes never leaving David's.

Justin grabbed Nicole by the hand and led her inside, leaving the two grown men to talk alone.

"How do you know my son?" David asked.

"His class went to the police station for a tour."

"You're so bored that you're playing tour guide to a bunch of kids? Because, honestly Chief, if you need something to do, I can arrange that." Again, David laughed at himself. 

"I don't doubt that you already have." Jesse replied, not laughing.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm assuming based on what I saw today, you are the one causing a ruckus at the bus stop?"

"And just what do you think you saw?" 

"I saw you grab your son and start screaming at him. I saw you drag that same boy down the sidewalk by his backpack and throw him, causing him to scrape his hand."

"Go to hell." David said in a low tone as he walked towards his house.

Jesse grabbed him by his collar and threw him up against a nearby tree, whispering in his ear "If I hear of you making another scene or see you lay a hand on Justin again I'll skip the judge and jury and kill you myself."

Jesse let go and turned to walk back to the station. After a few steps, though, he turned around and said "And the same applies if I see or hear of you mistreating your daughter."


	3. Chapter 3

When Jesse arrived back at the station, he went to his desk and wrote down the name of Justin's father. Ripping the piece of paper from the pad, he walked back out to Suitcase's desk and handed him the slip of paper.

"Do me a favor and run this name, see if anything comes up."

"Yes, Jesse." Suitcase replied as he took the paper and turned to his computer.

Jesse walked back to his office and sat down, thinking about the family. He didn't remember anyone named Rhimes living in Paradise. Granted, Jesse didn't often socialize with people in this town, but once you spend so much time in one place, you naturally get to know names.

It wasn't long before Suit walked into Jesse's office with his notepad open.

"David Rhimes, age forty-one, widowed with two kids; Justin, age five and Nicole age 2. Wife died a year and a half ago from an apparent suicide. Although he doesn't seem to have an arrest record, he does have a list of complaints from his previous residence in Dallas, Texas claiming that he beat his wife. It doesn't look like she ever filed charges against him though."

"Anything else about the kids?" Jesse asked, starting to slowly piece the puzzle together.

"Before Nicole was born, Mr. Rhimes and his wife were investigated for child abuse and child endangerment, respectively, and Justin was temporarily removed from their care and placed in a foster home, but nothing ever came of it though."

"So David abused him and his wife let him. Great parenting right there. They should get an award.

"What does he do for a living?" Jesse asked.

"Currently he is unemployed but previously he worked at a technology company before he was fired."

"Does it say why he was fired?"

"No." Suitcase looked frustrated. He thought he had all his bases covered.

"Is there a phone number for this company?"

"I can get it. I did get you the name and number of the detective that investigated Mrs. Rhimes' death." Suitcase handed Jesse a small slip of paper with the name and number scribbled on it.

"Thanks, Suit. Get me the number of his previous employer." Jesse dismissed the young officer as he picked up his phone and dialed the number written in front of him.

It rang a few times before a man with a deep voice answered, identifying himself as Thomas Donovan. Just the guy Jesse wanted.

"Yes, this is Jesse Stone, Police Chief of the Paradise Police Department in Massachusetts."

"Yes, Chief Stone? What can I do for you?"

"Do you happen to know a guy by the name of David Rhimes?" Jesse grabbed his pad of paper and a pen, in case he had things to write down.

"Ahh yes. David Rhimes. His wife committed suicide. What about him?"

"Do you always remember the names of the spouses of suicide victims?" Jesse asked.

"This case was unusual," Thomas replied hesitantly.

"Unusual how?" Jesse was curious now.

"Look Chief Stone, I'm very busy right now. What did you need to know about Rhimes and why?"

"He doesn't like me very much and I'd like to know what I'd be getting myself into if I decide I want to annoy him for my pleasure," Jesse replied.

Detective Donovan sighed then said "Look, the evidence to this case at first glance seemed like a very straightforward suicide. But it all seemed too perfect. When I talked to Mr. Rhimes he didn't seem the least bit upset about losing his wife. At the time, I had a lot of open case files on my desk, and since the evidence pointed towards suicide, I was being pressured to rule it as one."

"And you did." Jesse sighed.

"Yes. However, I never stopped investigating. I look into it in my free time. But honestly, there isn't much to go on."

"Were there any witnesses?" Jesse asked as he took notes.

"One. Her four-year-old son, Justin."

Jesse stopped writing and just sat there for a minute without saying a word. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. Was this kid ever going to get a break?

"Did you talk to him?"

"I tried. His father wouldn't let me. A friend of mine, who is a judge, signed an order stating that Mr. Rhimes was to let me talk to Justin without him in the room, but with a child psychiatrist. But by that point, Justin wouldn't talk about it."

Jesse sighed again. He had a feeling this was going to be a lot harder than he bargained for.

"Do you think Mr. Rhimes killed his wife and staged it to look like a suicide?"

"Honestly? Yes. But as of right now, I have no way to prove it."

"One more thing, Detective. Do you know why he was fired from his previous job?"

"Got into a fight with another coworker. It wasn't the first time it happened, so they fired him." 

Jesse thanked the detective for his time and then ended the call. Now what? What good was this information to him? Jesse didn't know, but he was sure as hell going to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early Sunday morning when Jesse woke up. Looking around, he realized that for the first time in a while, he went to bed, his bed, and didn't pass out in the living room. Sitting up in bed, he thought about what he wanted to get done that day. He still had a little bit of paperwork to catch up on and then he wanted to do some more digging into David Rhimes' background and see if he could find out why he is getting away with everything he did.

Sighing, he stood up and stretched. He quickly changed into a tan button-down shirt with a collar and pair of blue jeans. Walking into the living room he sat down and put his boots on. He drank a cup of coffee while watching the morning news then finally headed out the door at 6 AM.

It was another rainy day in Paradise. Hardly anyone was up and about yet. Hell, he didn't know why he was awake himself. Turning his truck onto the street the Rhimes' lived on, he slowed as he passed their house. Just like all the other houses on the block, this house was dark.

When he pulled up in front of the town hall building, two small figures sitting on the steps caught his eye immediately. Jesse got out of the truck and ran to the steps, trying to keep from getting soaked through. When he reached the figures, he saw that it was Justin and Nicole. Nicole was holding her right arm close to her body, crying. Justin had his arms wrapped around her, he too was crying.

"Justin, what happened?" Jesse asked as he knelt down and lifted Nicole's head to look into her eyes.

"It's her arm, I think it's broken," Justin replied, tears streaming down his face.

Jesse gently lifted the young girl into his arms and carried her back to his truck, Justin close behind. He opened the door and sat Nicole in the middle of the bench seat and instructed Justin to get in beside her. He ran around to the driver's side and got behind the wheel. Looking at the two kids beside him, he knew this was not the ideal mode of transportation for children this young, especially Nicole, who should be in a booster seat. Beggars can't be choosers, Jesse said to himself as he played around with the seat belt until he got both of them somewhat buckled in. Starting the engine, he made his way to the nearest hospital. 

"Justin, I need to know what happened," Jesse said, glancing at the young boy before turning his eyes back to the road.

Justin shook his head no as the tears came harder.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth about what's going on."

"They'll make us leave! They'll take us away and split us up!" Justin yelled angrily.

Foster care. Of course. That's why Justin didn't want to talk. He was afraid of going back into foster care. Talking to Justin, Jesse found it easy to forget how young the boy was. At five years old, he didn't understand that going into foster care would be a lot less painful than living with an abusive father.

"Justin, things will get better with time. Okay? But you have to help me. You don't want your dad hurting Nicole anymore do you?"

Justin looked down and shook his head no.

"Then you have to help me and tell me what happened." 

Justin sat still for a while, just staring at his feet. Finally, he said, "Dad was mad when you came yesterday. He started saying stuff about shooting you if you ever touched him again. He drank a lot and got mad when Nicole when she dropped some food from her fork. He grabbed her and….and pulled her off the chair, yelling at her to pick it up. I told him to leave her alone. He let go of her and turned to me, but I got her and left. I didn't know where to go, so I went to your work, hoping you'd be there." Justin was shaking now as he cried.

Jesse reached over Nicole and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You did the right thing, Justin."

When they arrived at the hospital, Jesse pulled up to the door and put his light on top of the car and turned it on so as to not get in trouble for parking illegally. He reached over and unbuckled the seat belt holding the kids in. Opening his door, he climbed out then gently pulled Nicole out. He waited for Justin to jump out before shutting the door and carrying the toddler into the ER. Walking to the desk he waited for the nurse to get off the phone.

"Sign in please." She handed him a clipboard.

"No. I need to see a doctor now." Jesse said, shifting Nicole from one arm to the other which caused her to start crying again as it jolted her arm.

"Sir, everyone here needs to see a doctor now. Sign in."

"Don't call me 'sir'. You can call me Jesse Stone. Or, if you prefer, you may call me Chief Stone." The nurse looked up at him.

"Chief?"

"Paradise Police Chief," Jesse said.

"Where's you badge?"

"I don't wear it."

The nurse sighed and went to talk to a doctor. Jesse shifted Nicole to his other arm, causing her to cry as it jolted her arm.

"I'm Dr. Wilman, what seems to be the problem?"

"Jesse Stone, Paradise Police Chief. She's a suspected child abuse victim. Her arm is broken. I'm not sure about anything else." Jesse said as he attempted to hand over Nicole to the doctor.

Nicole started screaming and grabbed Jesse's shirt, refusing to let go. To say Jesse was surprised would have been an understatement. He barely met this kid and she already didn't want him to leave. After a minute, both men managed to pry her hand off him and the doctor carried her back to an exam room.

Jesse sighed and turned around to see Justin leaning against the wall, crying. Walking over, Jesse put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. He really didn't know what to do to comfort him. Life as Justin knew it was probably over. While in one way it was good, in another, Justin would have to get used to a new normal, if there ever was a normal for him. What the kid said on the way there bothered him. He knew Justin had prior experience with foster care. He also knew that there was a very real possibility that Justin was right when he said that he and Nicole would be torn apart. Jesse didn't have much faith in the system, but this situation was out of his hands. The kids couldn't live with their father anymore. In fact, David Rhimes needed to be behind bars for what he did.

Justin slowly stopped crying and just stood there, leaning his head against Jesse. Jesse led them over to some chairs and motioned for the boy to sit down. Once they were both seated, Jesse tried to think of what to tell Justin. Deciding to wait and see what happened, Jesse grabbed a sports magazine and flipped through it.

It was almost two hours later when the doctor came back out. Jesse didn't bother standing since Justin had fallen asleep with his head in the chief's lap.

"You were right. She has been abused. We did a full exam and found several fractures in various stages of healing. Where her arm is fractured there is a nice sized bruise in the shape of a handprint, plus other bruises on her stomach and back. We did take pictures for you. She's sedated right now to allow her to get some rest. But if you'd like, you can see her now. I did call social services and they're sending someone immediately." The doctor spoke softly so as to not wake Justin.

Jesse nodded and looked down at the child in his lap. How was he supposed to tell Justin that he'd be back in foster care in a few hours? He gently shook the young boy awake.

"We can see your sister now."

Justin woke up and stood up, looking more like a zombie than human right now.

The doctor led them to a small room closed off by a curtain and held it back to allow them through.

"Why is she sleeping?" Justin asked as he walked over to the bed.

"They just gave her some medicine to help her sleep. She'll be fine." Jesse assured him.

Before they had time to talk anymore, a young woman walked in. "Chief Stone?" She asked as she held her hand out to him.

"Yes. Hi." Jesse shook her hand, not being able to help but notice how attractive she was.

"Hi. I'm Sarah Geller, I'm with social services." She handed him her business card. The young lady was 5' 4", slim, and had black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a blue suit with a white shirt that had just enough buttons undone to allow imaginations to wander.

Justin spun around to face them with a look of fear in his wide eyes.

"You promised you wouldn't call them! You said Nicole and I could stay together!" He yelled before running out of the room.

The social worker looked at Jesse with a look of disbelief and anger written on her face.

"I swear, I said no such thing!" Jesse defended himself. Where would Justin get something like that from?

Sarah started to leave in the direction that Justin had gone but Jesse caught her by the arm. "Let me talk to him."

Not giving her time to object, Jesse walked quickly out of the room. Exiting the hospital, Jesse looked right, then left and then saw him. Justin was standing, leaning back against the wall right outside the door. Walking over, Jesse sat down and leaned back against the wall with his arms resting on his knees.

"Justin, I never said anything about not calling social services."

"Yes you did! When I told you that they wouldn't keep us together you said it would be okay." Justin was crying.

"Yes I did say that. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to call them. Besides, I didn't call them, the doctor did."

"If he hadn't, would you've called them?" Justin asked, looking at Jesse.

Jesse sat there for a while before finally saying "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you can't stay with your dad, Justin. It's too dangerous."

"I can't go back there. Nicole can't go there! Why can't we live with you?" 

The question took Jesse by surprise and he laughed. But the look on Justin's face had him getting serious again.

"Because no one in their right mind would make me responsible for two young kids. Justin, look. Maybe they can find someone who will take both of you in." 

"Please stop giving him false hope." Jesse turned to see Sarah Geller standing beside him with a scowl on her face. Standing up, he turned to face her.

"I'm not giving him 'false hope'. I said maybe you could find someone to take them both."

"No one is going to take in two abused children at once. It's going to be hard enough to find two families willing to take one child." 

"Don't be so optimistic will ya?" Jesse retorted sarcastically.

"Look. You do your job and I'll do mine."

"Make sure you do." Jesse looked back at Justin once more. But when the boy refused to look at him, he walked over to his truck, got in, and sped off.


	5. Chapter 5

Jesse pulled up in front of the Rhimes house. Getting out, he pulled out his gun, remembering Justin saying that his dad wanted to kill the chief. Walking up the steps, he knocked on the door. Jesse heard some noises coming from inside. Something fell, breaking as it hit the floor. Jesse looked at his watch and saw that it was going on 9 AM. _"It's five o'clock somewhere, I guess."_ Jesse thought to himself as he knocked again.

The door finally opened, revealing a groggy, very drunk David Rhimes. Jesse didn't wait for an invite as he pushed himself into the house. Slamming the door shut, Jesse pointed his gun at Rhimes and slowly followed him as the drunkard backed up. Tripping over broken glass, Rhimes fell backwards, groaning as he hit his head on the hall table. Jesse knelt down, a leg on each side of Rhimes, effectively trapping him and pushed the gun against Rhimes' temple.

"Remember what I told you?" Jesse asked calmly.

Rhimes just nodded, Jesse imitating him.

"Yeah….what did I say?" Rhimes shook his head. Jesse pushed the gun harder against his head and pulled the hammer back.

"What did I say?" He asked again.

"That if I hurt my kids you'd kill me."

"Close enough. And what did you do?"

"Nothing, I swear!" Rhimes tried to back away, but he had nowhere to go.

"Then explain to me why your daughter is in a hospital bed with bruises all over her body and her arm in a cast?"

"I….I…" Rhimes couldn't say anything.

Jesse sighed and released the hammer on his gun, causing Rhimes to jump as the hammer snapped back into place. Holstering his gun, Jesse stood up, pulling Rhimes up with him. He turned him around and slammed his face against the wall, pinning him there as he searched him for any weapons. Finding none, he cuffed his hands behind his back as he read Rhimes his Maranda Rights.

Jesse had to practically drag the drunk man out to his car and throw him in.

When he got to the station, Jesse steered the man to a chair in front Molly's desk and pushed him into it.

"Process him and put him in holding," Jesse said as he went into his office and shut the door.

Pulling the social worker's card out of his pocket, Jesse called the number on it and when he got the answering machine, he said "This is Chief Stone. I picked up the dad and he's here. Call me when you get this." Jesse recited his number and then hung up.

Jesse sat there thinking, drumming his fingers on the desktop. If Rhimes got out of everything he did so far, how was he going to handle this? Picking up the phone again, Jesse dialed Donovan's number in Texas. "Donovan."

"It's Stone."

"Ahh, I figured I hadn't heard the last of you."

"I'm a hard person to get rid of."

"I'm learning that. What's up?"

"I picked up Rhimes on child abuse charges," Jesse stated.

"Justin?"

"No doubt. But the one in the hospital is Nicole."

"Dammit." Donovan sighed. "Is she okay?"

"Bruises and a broken arm, some previously-healed fractures. But she'll be fine."

"What can I do?"

"You and I both know he won't get the time he deserves in prison. What do we need to nab him for murdering his wife?"  Jesse asked.

"Proof. A witness statement would be nice."

"You mean Justin." It wasn't a question. Jesse knew that Justin was their best hope of putting this guy away for good.

"If he remembers. The psychologist that I worked with said there was the possibility that Justin blocked the memory of what happened to his mom out of his mind."

"And if he didn't?"

"Then he's just too scared to think about it."

"What if I could get him to tell me what happened?" Jesse knew that if he worked it right and tread carefully, that there was a chance that he could get Justin to open up about what happened.

"You think you could?"

"It's worth a shot."

"You can try, but be careful. Justin is…"

"I know." Jesse hung up the phone.

He was well aware that if he got either Justin to give a statement or Rhimes to admit that he was guilty, then he'd have to hand him over to the Dallas PD and he may never be able to charge him with the abuse. But if that meant life in prison, or worse, then that was a compromise he was willing to make.


End file.
